CVE-2025-49997 is a Missing Authorization vulnerability (CWE-862) identified in the WordPress plugin 'Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress' developed by Syed Balkhi. This vulnerability affects versions up to and including 1.12.17. The core issue is that certain functionalities within the plugin are accessible without proper Access Control Lists (ACLs) enforcement, allowing unauthorized users to invoke actions or access features that should be restricted. Specifically, the vulnerability does not require any authentication or user interaction, and can be exploited remotely over the network (AV:N, PR:N, UI:N). The impact is limited to integrity, meaning unauthorized users can potentially modify or manipulate contest or giveaway data, but there is no direct impact on confidentiality or availability. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.3, categorized as medium severity. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been published at the time of analysis. The vulnerability's scope is limited to the plugin itself, which is widely used in WordPress sites to manage giveaways and contests, often for marketing and engagement purposes. Given the nature of the vulnerability, attackers could potentially alter contest outcomes, inject fraudulent entries, or manipulate prize distributions, undermining the trustworthiness of the affected websites and potentially causing reputational damage or legal issues for site owners. However, the vulnerability does not directly expose sensitive user data or cause service disruption.

For European organizations, especially those relying on WordPress-based marketing tools and customer engagement platforms, this vulnerability poses a risk to data integrity and operational trust. Organizations running the RafflePress plugin for giveaways or contests could face unauthorized manipulation of contest data, leading to fraudulent contest results or prize distributions. This could damage brand reputation, erode customer trust, and potentially lead to regulatory scrutiny under European data protection laws if contest fairness or data handling is compromised. While the vulnerability does not directly expose personal data or cause service outages, the indirect effects on business processes and customer relations could be significant. Sectors such as e-commerce, retail, and digital marketing agencies in Europe that frequently use such plugins are particularly at risk. Additionally, organizations subject to strict compliance regimes (e.g., GDPR) must consider the reputational and legal implications of compromised contest integrity.

1. Immediate review and audit of all WordPress sites using the 'Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress' plugin to identify affected versions (up to 1.12.17). 2. Until an official patch is released, restrict access to the plugin's administrative and contest management endpoints using web application firewalls (WAFs) or reverse proxies to enforce IP whitelisting or authentication at the network level. 3. Implement strict role-based access controls (RBAC) within WordPress to limit plugin management capabilities only to trusted administrators. 4. Monitor logs for unusual activity related to contest creation, modification, or entry submissions that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Engage with the plugin vendor or community to track patch releases and apply updates promptly once available. 6. Consider temporarily disabling the plugin if the risk outweighs the business need until a secure version is deployed. 7. Educate marketing and IT teams about the risks of unauthorized contest manipulation and establish incident response plans for potential exploitation scenarios. 8. For organizations with high-value contests, implement additional verification mechanisms outside the plugin to validate contest entries and outcomes.